At the end of 2016, PoliganToys sent me its last Key Raiders prototype. I kind of knew that was coming, but there were so many other characters and accessories that are part of the KR universe and that I hadn’t seen in prototype form. Then, Key Raiders: Origin started, but that's a slightly different story.
Out of the blue, PoliganToys made me aware that I was going to get one of those missing prototypes from the regular series - the PterajetTM aircraft with its pack-in transporter! Needless to say, I was looking forward to getting this vehicle, since it was the item that I placed in the fourth position of my creatures and vehicles wish list.
Hopefully, this piece is not meant to be the old lineup’s swan song. After all, the Pterajet can also be considered part of the KR|Origin series, since in the comics the Reptonoids are shown to use it during their ancient battles. However, it does give me a nostalgia for my blogging days during 2015 and 2016 (when I was based in a different part of the world), making me remember all the excitement and happiness with the regular KR series and what could possibly be accomplished if that line ever hit the market. The Pterajet really embodies everything that I love about Key Raiders: getting a high quality gadget, seeing an item in plastic form that I thought I’d never see, and the risk involved in making toys for a potentially large, yet niche fan community.
Details
Name: Pterajet
Subtitle: sky and ground combat machine
Classification: aircraft and land vehicle
Home: Tahron
Affiliation: Rexodon
Rank: transport.
Description
The Pterajet is a three-fuselage, four-engine multi-role aircraft designed to excel both as a supersonic pursuit jet and as an attack bomber. Thus, this vehicle is capable of carrying Bi-Harr's army to the skies at extremely high speeds as well as gliding over the battlefield to attack the mammalian enemies.
The paint is very nicely executed, showing mostly glossy black fuselage and lifting surfaces with the addition of lots of bolted trapezoidal golden elements that give the jet a “bird” theme with a sculpted feather motif. The main body features a partially clear canopy that is hinged at the back, so it can open by folding up and backward to reveal a double-seat cockpit equipped with a dash board (which bears an array of sculpted dials and switches mounted on either side of a centrally placed monitor) and two 2-point safety belts. Like with other vehicles of this line, in the comics the Pterajet is proportionally bigger and can carry a large number of characters, while this toy version, despite being huge and having an impressive wingspan (68 cm, almost 27''!!), only fits two figures.
The airplane is equipped with an additional smaller fuselage (whose cockpit fictionally also serves as an independently launchable flight pod) halfway down each wing, making it look like a flying version of a trimaran. While the side fuselages are equipped with sculpted front guns, four nozzles are visible at the ends of all three tail assemblies, indicating the presence of four turbojet engines: two buried within the main body and one in each of the side fuselages.
Action feature
The front of the Pterajet exhibits a pretty long, triple-jointed side-to-side scan-action "neck" that ends with a bird head-shaped nose. The neck-component situated nearer to the main body is topped with a rotating sighting device, while the part placed away from the hull incorporates two "eyes" (which work as a combined navigation/attack radar that simultaneously conducts fully automated terrain-following for low-level flight operations and scans for targets) and an opening "beak" (which exposes a disc launcher that in the comics is capable of hurling bladed discs in both single and rapid shooting modes). The component in the middle displays an ornament similar to a crest on the top and two pivoting pieces (which are reminiscent of the folded wings of a bird) on the sides. Two spring-loaded guns (also pivoting) are mounted to the inner sides of the folded-wing structures and, thanks to the double-pivoted mechanism, can be positioned either near or far off the craft's head, while the top part of the neck piece conceals a pop-up missile launcher revealed by an opening panel. A similar hideaway feature makes it possible to reveal two pairs of cannons from the inner parts of the craft's wings.
The outer parts of the plane's wings are characterised by a variable geometry, allowing for minimal drag, great effectiveness and stealth flight at both high and low speeds during supersonic pursuits and low-level strikes respectively. The angle of each wing in relation to the nearest fuselage can be altered thanks to a hinged joint. Moreover, by pulling the tip of each wing, this springs open in a clamshell fashion and shows an array of three missiles mounted to the inside (the gimmick only works when the wings are completely spread out).
Finally, two pairs of swinging legs (each seemingly having three points of articulation) can fold out with a ratchet feature for multiple purposes, such as working as a short-field landing gear, grabbing a figure or releasing a bomb. While the front legs display structures that resemble talons (two on the front and one on the back), the hind legs are more similar to hydrofoils.
Weapons and accessories
The Pterajet comes with a small set of add-ons and one big accessory. First are a few plug-in components for the various weapons mounted to the craft's head and neck: a bladed disc for the front launcher, a three-headed missile for the top cannon (neither can be fired) and two missiles for the side guns.
Furthermore, when the legs are folded out, a bomb can be released. The bomb, which connects to the plane's belly, is designed to separate into two parts that attach to either side of an additional blasting effect, so as to simulate the action of blowing up on impact.
Last but not least, a black&silver crawler-transporter allows the Pterajet to perch and roll into battle on land. The jet (with the legs folded up) can be mounted to this hi-tech tracked carrier in two different positions: horizontally, for attack mode, or aiming high, as if the aircraft is ready to take-off from the base and fly.
Overall, I think this set is great. To me, it is worth it for the aircraft alone, because the Pterajet is so amazing. The carrier is pretty good too, but is not without its (mainly paint) issues. In general I love the vehicles in the KR line, so I really hope I can get at least the RotakordTM before all is said and done for the regular series. However, I will gladly take the CeratankTM, PyrosaurTM, Baryanoid-CartTM, or anything else they throw at me.
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